Kent Men of the Trees held it’s Annual General Meeting at Lenham on Saturday 13th April which was well attended by members.
After formal business, members were delighted to receive a presentation by Dan Luscombe, Curator of Bedgebury National Pinetum.
Dan gave a fascinating illustrated presentation on ‘Discover Bedgebury National Pinetum and it’s role in Conifer conservation’, a history of the Bedgebury estate from 814 through 1925 when Kew Gardens moved it’s Conifer collection to Bedgebury, to the present day where Bedgebury’s importance to Conifer Conservation continues to grow. In addition to the conifer collection it also holds 6 other national plant collections, Dan’s role as curator of the conifer collection takes him all over the world collecting seeds for preservation.
He also brought a fascinating selection of Conifer seed cones for members to see.
The audience was captivated by Dan’s in-depth knowledge, enthusiasm, attention to detail and thoroughly entertaining presentation. The enthusiastic applause was well deserved.